Due to the extremely tense and volatile security situation in Israel numerous airlines have suspended their flights to Israel until further notice. The Austrian federal government had therefore decided to carry out several evacuation flights together with the Austrian Armed Forces from Israel to Cyprus from Wednesday (October 11) – however, a technical defect in the aircraft has (for the time being) put a spanner in the works.
Due to an unforeseeable technical defect, the Hercules C-130 has not yet been able to take off on the evacuation flights. While the technicians of the C-130 squadron are working flat out to rectify the problem, the first 83 Austrians were flown out of Israel on Wednesday evening on a special aircraft bound for Cyprus. On Thursday afternoon, an Austrian Airlines plane chartered by the Foreign Ministry will bring the evacuees from Larnaca to Vienna, scheduled to arrive at 5.20 pm. Another evacuation flight from Tel Aviv is planned for Thursday at noon. This will also be an Austrian Airlines aircraft chartered by the Foreign Ministry and is scheduled to arrive in Vienna at 2.45 pm.
On the part of the Ministry of Defense, military crisis support teams prepared all further evacuation routes on site. Corresponding information will be sent separately to those affected.
https://militaeraktuell.at/fragen-und-antworten-zum-krieg-in-israel/ Verteidigungsministerin Klaudia Tanner dazu: „Klar ist, wir lassen niemanden im Stich und arbeiten als Bundesregierung gesamtstaatlich rund um die Uhr an sicheren Ausreisemöglichkeiten für unsere Staatsbürger. Das Bundesheer ist seit Tagen in Israel und Zypern im Einsatz, um für die Sicherheit der Österreicherinnen und Österreicher zu sorgen. Dieser Vorfall zeigt nun umso mehr, dass der Aufbau des österreichischen Bundesheeres notwendig und längst überfällig ist. Die Versäumnisse der letzten Jahrzehnte holen uns an Tagen wie heute ein. Daher ist es gut, dass wir bereits für eine Nachfolge gesorgt haben.”
“It is clear that we are not leaving anyone in the lurch and are working around the clock as a federal government to provide safe exit options for our citizens.”
Verteidigungsministerin Klaudia Tanner
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